Creating Memories from the Ordinary Moments of Life

I've been thinking a lot about traditions.  Every family has them whether they know it or not.  Traditions are those little, and sometimes big, things we all do to create the extraordinary and memorable out of the very ordinary moments of life.

Some of our traditions have been passed down from one generation to the next and others were created quite by accident.  But it doesn't matter how we got them, what does matter is that we have them because they characterize our families and they create the memories our families cherish.

If you do a web search on family traditions you will find nearly 400 million results.  I guess that means that our family traditions are varied and unique like each family.  There is no one size fits all to traditions even though there are some traditions that are common to many families.

We are approaching the starting line of the holiday season.  What traditions are you going to continue or start    this holiday season that will create the memories your family will cherish for a lifetime?  I would really love to hear what your family's traditions are, so please comment.

Eating Healthy on a Budget

I really do try to feed my family healthy food and with one income that means that we have a very strict budget.  Although some think that the word budget is a dirty word, it really is a wonderful word.  Budgets create boundaries and ultimately freedom.  However, with a strict budget I find that I have to get resourceful.

As I have been learning more about eating better I have been discovering that I want to see my family eat less processed and genetically modified foods.  This means that I have been trying to buy more locally grown produce and less food that comes in boxes and cans.  And when I can fit it into the budget, I prefer to buy organic chicken and grass fed beef.

Buying locally grown produce has proven to be a bit harder than I had thought because most of what the grocery stores carry is the mass produced, genetically modified variety of produce.  That means too that Costco is out too for the same reasons.  I try to go to local Farmers Markets, but that doesn't always fit into the schedule or the budget.

So, what's a mom to do?  Get resourceful.  I found a wonderful market that sells mostly locally grown produce at great prices.  It guess this means that it is possible to eat healthy on a budget.

All the produce out of the bags after getting home from the market.

A portion of the produce washed and drying.

Seasons

I don't know about you, but I love the changing of the seasons.  When I lived in the Midwest, the seasons were glorious and Fall and Spring were always my favorite.  Now that I live in the Southwest we don't really have seasons.  We have Summer for certain, but what happens throughout the rest of the year cannot really be described as Fall, Winter, and Spring because the temperature doesn't fluctuate much at all during the daytime hours during those months.  From late October to mid April it is all pretty much the same weather.  Maybe we should call it Fawintspri.

I say this all because on a few very rare occasions we get what feels like some of the Midwest seasons and today feels sort of like Fall.  It's been overcast and windy and the temp has dropped slightly.  Now, it is no blustery, crisp Fall of the Midwest, but I'll still take it.